- The ongoing saga between Conor McGregor, Michael Chandler in the UFC hit another twist on Tuesday, May 14.
- UFC president Dana White said that McGregor wouldn’t fight Chandler, or anyone, before the end of 2024.
- McGregor and Chandler have both responded on social media, and their fight continues to be in flux.
Conor McGregor vs. Michael Chandler odds have been posted at UFC betting sites for months now, ever since the two started filming The Ultimate Fighter 31 in February 2023. However, the much-anticipated fight has hit snags along the way, starting with their cancelled UFC 303 bout.
Now, UFC president Dana White has cold water on the prospect of McGregor and Chandler fighting before the end of 2024. It is reported that White says McGregor won’t fight until 2025.
White Says McGregor is Out for 2024, McGregor Responds
In a press conference for Dana White’s Contender Series, which premiered its eighth season on August 13, White said that he had spoken to McGregor, but the Irishman won’t fight this year.
That led to a now-deleted tweet from the “Notorious”:
McGregor is referencing December because that is the final pay-per-view event of the year. UFC 307 in October would probably come too early for McGregor. UFC 308 is already being headlined by a featherweight title fight between champion Ilia Topuria and former champ (and BMF champ) Max Holloway. White is hopeful that Jon Jones can defend his heavyweight title against former champion Stipe Miocic in New York in November at UFC 309. That leaves UFC 310 in Las Vegas in December.
However, McGregor was seen at a Bare Knuckle Fighting Championship event, where he went into the ring and slammed a beer. This isn’t the first time that McGregor hasn’t appeared to be taking his training seriously. But in the now-deleted tweet, McGregor says he’s ready to go and train at altitude, which many fighters do to boost their cardio.
McGregor is a former two-division UFC champion at featherweight and lightweight, but he is 1-3 in his last four fights, which were spread out between October 2018 and July 2021. Still, McGregor is a massive pay-per-view draw, so it’s interesting that White was so steadfast on McGregor not fighting this year.
Where Does This Leave Michael Chandler?
Lost in all of this is Chandler, who is also 1-3 in his last four fights. He hasn’t fought since losing by submission to Dustin Poirier (who counts for McGregor’s last two losses) in November 2022. He has been content to sit back and wait for the payday that comes with fighting McGregor. However, it seems like Chandler is coming to the conclusion that this fight isn’t happening. This tweet is from August 5:
And then Chandler posted this tweet on August 14:
At this point, it might be best that Chandler moves on, and he does have options. He is still ranked sixth in the UFC rankings at lightweight. He could fight Justin Gaethje in a rematch of their 2021 Fight of the Year, while Mateusz Gamrot is just ahead of Chandler in the rankings. Beneil Dariush and Rafael Fiziev are just behind Chandler in the rankings. But he’s been a good soldier throughout these proceedings, so White will help him find a good fight.
Or, he might just stick around and wait to fight McGregor in early 2025 because that is a fantastic payday for any MMA fighter. But knowing McGregor, this saga isn’t close to being over.
